Ness County, KS hail & severe wind history
225 storm reports on file for Ness County between 2010-04-01 and 2025-10-05 — 162 hail and 63 severe thunderstorm wind. That averages 14.1 reports a year, and May is the busiest month.
At a glance
- Most recent hail report: Sep 19, 2025 — 1" (quarter), 0.69 mi S of Utica.
- Hail was reported on 72 days since 2010 — about 4.5 hail days a year.
- Largest hail on record: 4.25" (grapefruit) on May 24, 2011.
- Ness County has more hail reports than 77% of the 105 Kansas counties we cover.
Search every Ness County report
Check a single date first, or filter the full record below — pick a year, narrow to a month, or drag the hail-size slider to see only the larger stones (1", quarter size, is the National Weather Service severe threshold).
Loading Ness County storm reports…
Worst storm days in Ness County
| Date | Reports that day | Largest hail | Peak gust |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-09-06 | 13 | 2.5" (tennis ball) | 70 mph |
| 2011-05-24 | 11 | 4.25" (grapefruit) | — |
| 2012-05-27 | 9 | 2" (hen egg) | — |
| 2013-05-18 | 8 | 2" (hen egg) | — |
| 2020-06-20 | 7 | 1.75" (golf ball) | 60 mph |
| 2017-06-15 | 7 | 1.75" (golf ball) | — |
| 2013-05-07 | 7 | 1.25" (half dollar) | — |
| 2018-05-14 | 5 | 2" (hen egg) | 70 mph |
| 2015-04-17 | 5 | 1.75" (golf ball) | — |
| 2023-05-09 | 5 | 1.25" (half dollar) | — |
Reports by year
Report counts are driven partly by how many people were around to report a storm, so recent years tend to look busier than the early 2010s. Treat the trend as a reporting trend, not purely a weather trend.
Notable large-hail events (2" and up)
| Date | Size | Near | What was reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-08-14 | 3" teacup | 1.48 mi NNW of Brownell | Windows were broke out several vehicles. |
| 2018-05-14 | 2" hen egg | 9.55 mi SSE of Laird | No narrative filed |
| 2018-05-14 | 2" hen egg | 13.13 mi S of Ness City | No narrative filed |
| 2016-05-08 | 2.5" tennis ball | 5.55 mi N of Ness City Arpt | No narrative filed |
| 2013-05-18 | 2" hen egg | 3.31 mi WSW of Utica | No narrative filed |
| 2013-05-18 | 2" hen egg | .69 mi N of Ransom | The hail was measured 30 minutes after it fell so no doubt it was bigger than 2 inches in diameter. |
| 2013-05-18 | 2" hen egg | 2.56 mi ESE of Ransom | No narrative filed |
| 2013-03-30 | 2.5" tennis ball | .54 mi W of Ness City | Most of the hail was smaller in size. |
When does hail hit Ness County?
Across 16 years of records, May produced the most reports (91), followed by the months either side of it. Monthly totals:
| Month | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| January | 0 | 0.0% |
| February | 1 | 0.4% |
| March | 3 | 1.3% |
| April | 17 | 7.6% |
| May | 91 | 40.4% |
| June | 48 | 21.3% |
| July | 23 | 10.2% |
| August | 14 | 6.2% |
| September | 22 | 9.8% |
| October | 6 | 2.7% |
| November | 0 | 0.0% |
| December | 0 | 0.0% |
Neighboring counties
Counties that share a border with Ness County (U.S. Census county adjacency), where we have storm records:
| County | Storm reports | Largest hail |
|---|---|---|
| Ellis County, KS | 404 | 4" |
| Finney County, KS | 383 | 4.25" |
| Gove County, KS | 310 | 4.5" |
| Pawnee County, KS | 230 | 4" |
| Rush County, KS | 230 | 6" |
| Hodgeman County, KS | 222 | 4" |
| Trego County, KS | 215 | 4.25" |
| Lane County, KS | 126 | 2.75" |
Common questions about hail in Ness County
- How often does it hail in Ness County?
- Hail was reported on 72 separate days between 2010 and 2025, about 4.5 days a year, with May the busiest month for storm reports. 126 reports were quarter size (1") or larger.
- Does a report here mean hail hit my street?
- Not necessarily. Each report is one observation tied to a nearby landmark, and a county can be large. Storms also go unreported where few people live. Use the date check above to see what was reported nearby, and treat it as a starting point.
- How big is a 1.75" hailstone?
- Forecasters describe hail by everyday objects: 1" is a quarter, 1.75" a golf ball, 2.75" a baseball. The sizes in these reports are estimates made by the person reporting, not lab measurements.
- Where do I get the official record?
- All reports here come from the NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, which you can search directly. For anything formal, use NOAA’s own records rather than this page.
Look up another place
About these numbers
Every row above is a report filed with the National Weather Service and archived in the NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (FIPS 20135). Reports are eyewitness, trained-spotter and damage-survey observations, so they cluster near roads and towns and miss storms over empty country. Hail sizes are estimates. Damage figures are preliminary as filed and are never revised in this archive. Use this page for background, not for an insurance claim, a legal filing, or a roof assessment — for those, get the official record from NOAA directly.